Caring for horses in your community

Welfare of working horses

The BC SPCA was founded in 1895 due to advocacy about the conditions of working horses. In the changing environment, we continue to advocate for working horse welfare, particularly with increased densification of urban centres in British Columbia.

The BC SPCA provided a letter to the City of Victoria Mayor and Council with recommendations following an incident between a bus and a horse-drawn carriage on May 4, 2018, leading to two horses laying down on the pavement and having difficulty returning to their feet for more than five minutes. The BC SPCA investigated the incident and sought expert testimony from national equine veterinary specialist Dr. Bettina Bobsien. The recommendations include:

Mitigate the significant risks associated with horse-drawn tours by ending the practice on traffic-congested streets,

Limit horse-draw vehicles to one horse operation, and

Establish SOPs and planning around emergencies, including training, reporting mechanisms and emergency kits.

The BC SPCA looks forward to the staff report from the City of Victoria and welcomes the opportunity to engage in dialogue that will protect the horses from motor vehicle-related traffic accidents and provide for the continued operation of the existing carriage companies in a safe manner.

Did you know there are rules about caring for horses in Canada?

In the videos below you can learn about providing good care for your horse with veterinary specialist Dr. Bettina Bobsien.

Find out about the process behind the Equine Code of Practice (PDF) as well as nutrition, health management, breeding, housing, humane training and other requirements included in the Equine Code.

What can you do to help horses?

Talk to your neighbour:If you are worried about a horse in your community, please download our fact sheets (PDF) and have a conversation with your neighbour about caring for horses.

Report cruelty and neglect: Caring neighbours who make calls to our hotline allow the BC SPCA to help horses in need. If you are concerned about potential animal cruelty or neglect, please call our Animal Cruelty Reporting Hotline at 1-855-6BC SPCA (1-855-622-7722).

Make political change: B.C. has not yet adopted the Equine Code of Practice into provincial law, making it a standard, but not part of the law. Find your MLA and ask them to make it law in B.C.

Have a warm stable available? If you have experience with horses and have room in your life to care for one, we often have horses available for adoption. Visit our adoption site to see who needs a good home.

Equine Code of Practice explained

Shelter: What kind of shelter do you need to provide for your horse in Canada?

Water access in winter: Is snow a water source for horses? How much water do horses need to thrive?

Healthy body weight: What is body condition scoring? What is a healthy weight for a horse?

Horse breeding: Requirements for horse breeding explained.

Training and handling: How do horses learn? The best science available was used to develop this section.